Bending to the royal omega

Cage’s room door was slightly open when I arrived, which was strange because he never left it open.

I smiled and turned the small box over in my hands. Inside was a match to the silver chain resting against my collarbone, the one he'd fastened there himself, a year ago tonight, right before he swore I'd never face the world alone.

I pushed the door open fully and froze.

Diana Channing, the woman everyone wanted as Luna, was pressed against Cage, kissing him. Her hands clutched his shirt, pulling him down, while his large, scarred hands, hands that knew every curve of my body, rested firmly on her waist.

Diana moaned softly as Cage deepened the kiss. I didn't move. I couldn't. My mind refused to process what my eyes were showing me.

My fingers went numb, and the gift box slipped from my hands, crashing onto the floor. The lid had popped open. The silver chain lay spilled across the floorboards, catching the lamplight.

They immediately pulled apart.

Cage stepped back like he'd been burned, his hands dropping from Diana's waist. But he didn't reach for me. His face turned cold and unreadable.

Diana recovered first. She straightened her dress and looked at me like I was dirt on her shoe.

"Oh, good," she said smugly. "I was wondering when you'd arrive. An omega like you shouldn’t take so long to carry out her maid duties.”

Neither Cage nor I spoke. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood, desperately trying to stop my lips from trembling.

“Oh, wait,” she laughed. “Did you really think a scentless stray like you could truly hold an Alpha's attention forever?"

I ignored her and looked at Cage, waiting for him to defend me, to call me Little Bird like always.

He didn't.

"Cage," I whispered. "Cage, why won’t you say anything?"

"Astrid, this was always going to happen," Cage finally said flatly. Though his fists were clenched tightly at his sides, his voice held no warmth. "You know my duty to the pack. A political alliance is necessary."

"An alliance?" I choked out. "You kissed her. You kissed her after telling me. After—" My chest tightened so hard I could barely breathe.

"I’m doing what is required," he said coldly, though his jaw ticked again. I couldn’t look at him. I took a step back toward the door—

"How touching." I turned to see Deborah Blackwood standing in the doorway. Her icy blue eyes swept over the room triumphantly.

"Let’s not make this more dramatic than it needs to be," Deborah said loud enough for the warriors outside to hear. "You were only a placeholder for my son. A temporary comfort until he came of age. You are a scentless omega and were never meant to be Luna. Have some dignity and accept your place."

I looked back at Cage one last time, silently begging him to defend me.

He looked away. That was the moment I understood. He wasn't going to choose me. He never had.

Unable to stay another second, I ran from the room.

I held back my tears until I reached my tiny omega quarters. Then I broke down in violent sobs. The last time I cried this hard, I was five and realised no one was coming for me. Until now, Cage always had.

I dragged out my duffel bag and started throwing clothes inside frantically. My vision blurred, snot dripping onto my hand as I threw more stuff into the bag. I couldn’t stay here.

Then I heard footsteps outside my door.

They were heavy and unfamiliar. Fear crawled down my spine as the door slowly opened. Four large men stood there, none of them wearing the Blackwood crest. One of them carried a coil of rope looped over his shoulder, like he'd expected this to be easy. My wolf slammed against my ribs, screaming one word inside my head.

Run.

I threw my duffel bag at the first man’s face, smashed the window with a chair, and jumped out.

The freezing night air cut into my skin as I ran through the forest until my legs burned, driven completely by raw terror. Boots pounded in the mud behind me, getting closer. Branches tore at my face while rain turned the ground slippery beneath my feet.

Then a hand grabbed my ankle.

I crashed face-first into icy marsh water. I fought wildly, kicking my free leg into a kneecap, driving my nails deep into a thick forearm, scratching and biting, but another massive body slammed onto my back, pinning me down in the mud.

As I lay trapped beneath them, a horrifying realization hit me.

The nausea I had dismissed for the last three weeks. The sudden sensitivity to my favourite Greta’s spices. The bone-deep exhaustion I had blamed on extra pack duties.

I was pregnant. I was pregnant with Cage’s pup.

"No," I gasped desperately, my voice bubbling through the mud. “No, please.”

I tried to push myself up, my fingers digging into the wet roots. But the men were too strong.  My arms shook and the mud slipped beneath my knees. Rain filled my mouth every time I gasped. Somewhere above me, thunder cracked, and for one heartbeat the marsh went silver. “Please,” I whispered, but my vision had already begun to fade.

Then suddenly, the crushing weight on me disappeared. A man screamed, but the sound was cut off by the horrifying crack of bone.

Through my blurry vision, I saw a massive pale-furred wolf step into the freezing water and stand protectively over me. He was huge and scarred, and had an aura that terrified me. He ignored the dead bodies of the men who tried to kill me and looked only at me. His steady dark eyes held a clear warning for anyone who dared touch me again.

Safe.

The word echoed weakly through my fading mind. Then darkness swallowed my vision, and the marsh dragged me under..

I woke up to the smell of crushed mint and eucalyptus. The wooden ceiling above me was unfamiliar, lit by soft golden light.

A dark-skinned girl sat beside the bed, grinding herbs in a bowl.

"You're safe," she said gently. "My name is Louisa. You've been unconscious for three days."

I barely heard her. My trembling hand moved straight to my stomach.

"Was I—" My voice broke. I couldn't finish the sentence. The hollow ache inside my body already knew the answer.

Louisa’s eyes filled with sadness. She stood up and sat on the edge of the mattress, gently covering my trembling hand with her own warm one, offering steadiness instead of pity.

“I tried,” she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. “I used every healing remedy we had. But the trauma and the cold were too much. You lost the pup.”

I didn’t scream or cry. I just stared at the wooden wall.

My pup was dead.

Something inside me broke. The girl who loved Cage Blackwood died with that child. All that remained was hatred.

“I'll leave you to grieve,” Louisa said softly as she stood.

“No.”

My voice sounded rough and unfamiliar. Ignoring the pain tearing through my body, I forced myself upright.

Louisa widened her eyes. “You shouldn't be sitting up. You're really weak, and the Alpha wants to see you tonight, but—”

She stopped abruptly.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, becoming heavier and more powerful.

The door swung open, and a massive, heavily scarred man stepped inside. Even in human form, I recognised the wolf from the marsh immediately.

This must be the Alpha.

There was no sympathy on his face.

“The Blackwoods believe you are dead,” he said. Alpha Garrick stepped closer, his dark eyes locked on mine.

"Grieve tonight," he said quietly, a dangerous edge beneath his calm tone. "Because tomorrow, you will learn how to destroy them."